should i worry

10+ Year Member

hi--i am a first year student going to a state school. I was just wondering my first year in college didn't go so bad. I ended up with a 3.0 I have yet to take organic and did average in general chemistry. Are my C's in general chem going to hurt me more than i think. I know i could have done alot better and that is why i feel i can improve in organic. should i be worried. This is what i want to do with my life and can't imagine taking my life in another direction. any kind of comments would help. thanks

I'm an undergrad myself and in my first year. From what I've heard, They look at your GPA overall and not so much your major. I'm not sure if that includes, or excludes, premed. requirements. It may not be relevant what you made the C in, but if that C brought your GPA down significantly.

If schools believe that a business major has the same potential in becoming an MD that a Chemistry or Biology major does, then I can't see how the individual classes can affect your chances. As long as your relative scores on the MCAT maintain well within the science catagory.

Removed10+ Year Member

As long as your major isn't Chemistry, then the C won't look so bad. (Unless you continue that trend) If you get A's in Organic 1 and 2, I don't think the C's will even register in the minds of the admissions people. Do well in Organic, really hit those science classes, and get involved in school.
I am second year undergrad and is a similar situation as you...only I did real well in General Chemsitry and got C+'s in Organic...oops.
But, to compensate, I have become very active on campus, began planning my summer around studying/shadowing/having fun, and set to take a great deal of science courses that will bring up my science GPA (I can't help taking the science courses because of my school...ugh).
Anyway, work hard, keep up the confidence, and DON'T DON'T DON'T give up.

"Don't give up....don't EVER give up."
Jim Valvano

"Always give your best, never be petty, always remember...others may hate you. But those who hate you don't win, unless you hate them. And then, you destroy yourself."
Richard Nixon

------------------
Josh Hazelton[email protected]
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
"D.O. Wannabe"

10+ Year Member

Most US MD schools participate in AMCAS...a universal primary application. You fill out one AMCAS and the AAMC will send out copies to schools of your designation. Then the secondaries start coming in from interested schools. From my experience, most med school interview committees focus on the secondary application.

Many schools ask you to relist your grades for your premed courses on the secondary, including:

Gen Chemistry
O Chem
Physics
Biology
English
Calculus

So if you got C's in Gen Chemistry, then you still have many chances to overshadow that C with some A's.

10+ Year Member

One thing to consider, though, is that the AMCAS application breaks your GPA down in several different ways: They do your GPA for all of your courses, but they they also calculate your science GPA and your non-science GPA. While a C in a particular course is probably not going to be a big deal, having a low science GPA certainly will be. You might want to think about that -- maybe a few extra science courses beyond the premed requirements could be used to boost your gpa in that area. Just a thought. And definitely work on Orgo -- I think any school would respect an applicant whose grades continue to go up.